At Home Avenue, Oak Park plans ‘a statement’ with new bridge

Well, that summer went fast.

Enjoy Labor Day with some Halloween candy from the Jewel.

We have news to report, as you’d expect.

Oak Park is looking to make a couple of statements with its decision to move forward with a design for a new pedestrian bridge at Home Avenue. (Think 2030.) The village board chose the version with the sweeping arches and the distinctive illumination. So, there is the architectural statement. Then there is focus on the much wider platform and more accessible entry points to the bridge for those on foot and on bikes that reinforces all aspects of Oak Park’s transit options.

There’s also an added effort to explain the village’s plan to upend single-family zoning. The board OK’d a panel discussion on the history of zoning in the village to provide more context for the proposed changes.

Gregg Voss offers up a first interview with the new superintendent of the River Forest elementary schools. And Bob Skolnik reports on the Collaboration for Early Childhood locking in funding support from OPRF, District 97 and the village for its work with the very young.

Enjoy your three-day break.

Dan Haley

Interim editor

The Lead

At Home Avenue, Oak Park plans ‘a statement’ with new bridge

The plan to rebuild the pedestrian bridge over the Ike at Home Avenue took a major step ahead Sept. 1 when Oak Park’s village board chose one of three architectural designs and approved the broad financial obligations the project will require.

In choosing Concept C, the board opted in a 6-1 vote for the design deemed the most architecturally notable with a goal of building a bridge that would be seen by the 200,000 vehicles on the Eisenhower Expressway each day as a “gateway to the village.”

More news

History of zoning will be topic of planned panel discussion

As it continues its community engagement process related to overhauling Oak Park’s single-family zoning policies, the village board on Sept. 1 approved a plan to host a panel of experts to discuss the history of zoning in the village.

Enriching a community: Meal by meal & (art) piece by piece

This spring, Oak Park nonprofit Beyond Hunger announced its purchase of 6209 W. North Ave., sharing plans for transforming a vacant grocery store into a modern, client-centered and permanent headquarters in order to advance its nearly 50-year mission of ending local hunger.

Early childhood support continues as local taxing bodies sign on

This summer the governing boards of Oak Park Elementary School District 97, Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 and the Village of Oak Park all unanimously approved an updated intergovernmental agreement (IGA) that continues the three entities funding of the Oak Park based Collaborative for Early Childhood while tweaking the amounts and percentages of their budget that each entity will give to the collaborative.

Pavelonis taking systemic approach as new D90 superintendent

Janice Pavelonis has been on the job as new superintendent of River Forest School District 90 for two months. It’s been a whirlwind, and she’s a long way from her prior position as superintendent of Carbondale Elementary District 95.

Tommy Schaefer denied pre-trial release in Mack murder

Federal Judge Martin J. Kennelly ruled Aug. 27 that former Oak Parker Tommy Schaefer must remain in federal custody while awaiting trial on charges he conspired to murder an Oak Park woman in Bali 14 years ago.

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